A Handbook to Agra and the Taj eBook

Shere Shah’s tomb at Sasseram, in Bihar, is
one of the noblest monuments of the Pathan style,
or the style of the earliest Muhammadan architects
in India.

III. Akbar.

Akbar, “the Great,” was born at Amarkot,
on the edge of the deserts of Marwar, about three
years after the battle of Kanauj, when his father
Humayun was a fugitive, driven from place to place
by the adherents of Shere Shah. At this time
the treasury of the royal house was so reduced that,
when Humayun indented on it for the customary presents
to his faithful followers, the only thing procurable
was a single pod of musk. With the cheerfulness
which was the saving grace of Humayun, he broke up
the pod, and distributed it, adding the pious wish,
which seemed like prophetic insight, that his son’s
fame might fill the world like the fragrance of that
perfume. Trained in the hard school of adversity,
and inheriting the best qualities of his grandfather,
Akbar was not long in restoring the faded fortunes
of the Mogul dynasty. Like Babar, he succeeded
to the throne at a very early age, and found himself
surrounded by difficulties which would have overwhelmed
a weaker character. Humayun had, indeed, fought
his way back to Delhi and Agra, but he had by no means
settled with all the numerous disputants for the sovereignty
of Hindustan, which Sultan Islam’s death had
left in the field; and his departure from Kabul had
been the signal for revolt in that quarter. Akbar,
accompanied by Bairam Khan, the ablest of Humayun’s
generals, was in Sind when he received at the same
time the news of his father’s death and of the
revolt of the Viceroy at Kabul He was then little more
than thirteen years old, but, like Babar under similar
circumstances, he was prompt in decision and in action.
Adopting Bairam’s advice, which was contrary
to that of all his other counsellors, he left Kabul
out of account, and pushed on to Delhi against the
forces of Himu, a Hindu general, and the most powerful
of his foes, who had assumed the title of Raja Bikramajit,
with the hopes of restoring the old Hindu dynasty.
On the historic plains of Panipat Akbar completely
defeated Himu’s army, and thus regained the
empire which his grandfather had won on the same field
thirty years before. This great battle was the
most critical point in his career, and though Akbar
had to undertake many other hard campaigns before
he was absolute master of the empire, his position
from that time was never seriously endangered.

Until his eighteenth year Akbar remained under the
tutelage of Bairam, an able general, but unscrupulous
and cruel. The high-minded, generous disposition
of Akbar revolted against some of his guardian’s
methods, but he recognized that, for some years at
least, Bairam’s experience was necessary for
him. In 1560, however, he took the administration
entirely into his own hands. Bairam, in disgust,
took up arms against his young master, but was soon
defeated and taken prisoner. With his usual magnanimity,
Akbar pardoned him, and sent him off to Mecca with
a munificent present; but the revengeful knife of an
Afghan put an end to the turbulent nobleman’s
life before he could leave India.